OK, so for my first blog about Africa, I thought it would be appropriate to start with a little bit about the area that I am working in and what I will be doing. The location is in an area of South Africa known as the Crags, and I am working in a village called Kurland Village, about 1 km from where I am staying at Rocky Road Farm, about about 20 km from Plettenberg Bay. Contrary to popular belief, Africa is cold at this time of year (it is their winter). The first few days were probably around 35 - 45 at night and 55 - 60 during the day. Brrrr!
Plettenberg Bay is known as a play spot for the wealthy while Kurland village is a made up mostly of tiny shacks that are frequently dilapidated. The contrast in this area is amazing to witness. The landscape is gorgeous...mountains and ocean views within a few km drives and beautiful forests and beaches nearby as well.
The volunteer organization I am working with is called Willing Workers in South Afria (WWISA) and they have recently supplemented their volunteer program by opening backpackers accommodations, due to a decline in the amount of volunteers they are able to recruit. Therefore, there are loads of people traveling through this place!
As I alluded to prior, the village that I am working in is in a state of disrepair - not all of the village, but a large percentage, for sure. The government has built some homes which are in a much better state that the shacks that have risen up over the years. Pigs are a frequent site wandering around the village and there are a ton of dogs as well. Both contribute to the dirtiness of the village, as there is no good place for people to discard their trash, so it ends up in large piles that the animals dig through.
My assignment is to work in a preschool during the day (9 - 2) and then with the older children in an afterschool program. The first week here has been school holiday, so we have had very few children at the preschool and their are no afterschool programs - perfect way to dip my toes in and get to understand how it works. From what I can tell, the kids that come are some of the more priveleged kids in the village, as they all have warm clothes, shoes, and bring snacks from home. I am unclear where they receive clothes from, but I do know that many of the adults work in local tourist areas, on local farms, or at a nearby brick mill or sawmill.
Hopefully, this provides a little bit of insight into where I am and what I will be doing...more to come!
2 comments:
Glad I can keep up with you here!
A group of musicians and I just returned from the Garden Route (Mossel Bay, George, Wilderness, Sedgfield, and Knysna) ministering through musical concerts there. We were invited to come visit townships just above Knysna and the conditions you describe and work among are familiar to us.
South Africa is an amazing land of contrasts with its natural beauty, stark paradigm shift from the wealthy towns to those impoverished, from its past to its diverse present. I hope you will do much to uplift, strengthen, and better the conditions of all among whom you labor. Kind Regards, Phil Golson
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